Player piano



Oct. 26 1926. 1,604,844

A. MANERO PLAYER PIANO V Filed Nov. 1, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 26, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTONIO MANER-O, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.v

PLAYER Application filed November This invention relates to improvements in player pianos and has more particular re lation to means for controlling the mechanism'of the piano so that the operator may control the expression with which a musical selection is played.

More specifically stated, the invention divides the piano into separate tone sections and provides means whereby the expression of each tone section may be independently controlled, or all of the tone sections simultaneously controlled, and a musical selection rendered in accordance with vthe idea of the person operating the piano.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention further includes the following novel features and details of construction, to be hereinafter more fully described, illus` trated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1is a sectional view of a player piano illustrating the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through one of the action pneumatics.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section yon the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the controlling members.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electrically operated control`1nechanism.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a portion of the controlling mechanism illustrate-d in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the note sheet showing the latter partly unrolled.

Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like characters of reference'denote corresponding parts, the piano as illustrated includes a tracker bar 10 over which passes a note sheet 11, the latter being perforated so as to uncover the perforations of the tracker bar 10 to permit of the passage of air, as is well known in pianos of this character. The note sheet is moved over the tracker bar in the usual or any desired manner, the means for operating the note sheet comprising no part of the present invention.

The tracker bar is divided into separate sections, the said sections being indicated at B, H and M and signifying bass, harmony, and melody. The tracker bar is preferably provided with 144 openings, the first section PIANO.

1, 1924. Serial N0. 747,289.

or bass inclu-ding the first 36 openings, the harmony section including the next 48 openings .while the melody section includes the remaining openings.

Each tone section B, H and M comprises individual mechanism and for this purpose each tone section is provided with a main bellows 12 which is in communication with an individual air valve. 13. This valve includes a housing within which is slidingly mounted a valve member or block 14, the latter being adaptedto cover and uncover an opening 15 provided in the valve casing. The valve block is yieldingly held in position to close the opening 15 by means of a spring 16 and is adapted to be operated to uncover the opening to a more or less degree by means of a cord or cable 17 operated in a manner to be later described.l The casings of the valves 13 contain two openings 16a, one of which provides communication with the main bellows while the other provides communication with a passage 16, theJ latm ter passage including vertical and horizontal branches so as to lprovide communication with small bellows or action pneumatics 18.

These pneumatics are in communication with branch passages through openings 19.`

The valves 13 are horizontally spaced, while the pneumatics 18 are arranged in tiers, andare in communication with the openings of the tracker bar 'through tubes 20.

Each of the pneumatics 1S has connected thereto as indicated at 21, one end of a lifter rod 22, the opposite end of which en gages beneath the inner end of one of the keys 23 of the piano keyboard. Thus, when an opening in the note sheet 11 registers with an opening in the tracker bar 10, the particular bellows 18 in communication with such openings will be collapsed so as to operate the hammer of the key action with which the bellows is connected as will be readily understood. The openings in the section B of the tracker board control the keys 1 to 36 inclusive, while the openings of the section H control the keys 24 to 72 inclusive, while the openings in the sec- VtionM control the keys 24 to 84 inclusive, the keyboard being of the' standard 84 note type.

As will be seen by reference to Figure 5 of the drawings, the 'keys of the section B and 'the keys of the section H overlap, while the keys of thesection M overlap'4 both the keys of the section B and H. As there is bar.

provided one action pneumatic 18 for each key there will only be 84 pneumatics and as each of the openings of the tracker bar 1() is in communication with the pneumatic, some of these pneumatics must communicate with more `than one opening. Thus the pneumatics 18 which control the keys 1 to 24 have only one tube 20 connected thereto as do also the pneumatics which operate the keys 72 to 84. The pneumatics which operate the keys 36 to 72 have communicating therewith two tubes 2O as illustrated in Figure 1 oit' the drawings, while the pneumatics 18 which control the keys 24 Yto 36 inclusive are in communication with three tubes 20 as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

For the purpose of controlling the position of the valve block 14 so as to regulate the opening 15, each valve block has connected thereto a cord or cable 17 which passes around guide pulleys 24 and is connected to a slide block 25. Each of these blocks carries an operating member or finger piece 26 which extends through slots 27 provided in the frame of the piano, the slots being marked basso, harmony and melody and having extending from one of their edges graduations 28. When the finger pieces 26 are positioned to the eXtreme right hand end of 'the slots as shown 1n Figure 4 of the drawings, the valves 13 will be entirely closed. This position is indicated as silent. The neXt position to the left is indicated as soft and when the finger pieces are moved to this position, the opening or openings 15 will be slightly uncovered so 'that the pneumatics 18 effected will operate to produce a soft note. As the finger piece or finger pieces are moved to the right of Figure 4, the degree of sound will be increased proportionately to the degree of movement of the finger pieces, due to the fact that the openings 15 are correspondingly uncovered. Thus, either the bass, harmony or melody may be individually controlled, or they may be simultaneously controlled by operating all of the linger pieces 26.

In connection with the invention it is desired to place a note sheet of the character illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings. This note sheet is perforated so that the perforations at one edge will pass over the nerforations in the section B of the tracker bar. lthe vperforations at the opposite edge will. pass over the perforations in the section M of the tracker bar, while the intermediate perforations will pass over the perforations in the section H of the tracker For the purpose of clearly illustrating this feature of the invention, the note sheet is divided longitudinally by vlines a,

which however, need not appear upon theV finished note sheet, but are imaginary lines placed on the sheet for the purpose of dividing the latter into a bass section, a harmony section and a melody section as illustrated in Figure 8.

The bellows 12 may be operated in any desired manner such as by foot pedals 29.

Instead of mechanically controlling the tone sections B, H and M, these tone sections may be electrically controlled as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings, In these figures the piano action is illustrated diagrammatically at 30 while the keys are shown at 31. The tracker bar 10' is arranged as in the preceding form of the invention and is connected by tubes 2() with small bellows or .pneumatics 18. These pneumatics 18 are connected to the main bellows 12 through the medium of tubes 32.

The keys 31 are actuated by an electromagnet 33 which, when energized attracts an armature 34 secured to the keys 31, there being an individual magnet 33 for each key. These magnets 33 are electrically connected as indicated at 35 with a resistance coil 36, there being three coils 36, one for the tone section B. one for the tone section Hand one for the toneV section M. Each magnet 33 is connected by a conductor 37 with a movable contact 38, while located in the path of this contact is a stationaryfcontact 39. The contacts 38 are carried by the pneumatics 18, while the contacts 39 are electrically connected as indicated atv40 with one terminal of a source of current, herein shown as a battery 41. A manually operated switch 42 may be included in the battery circuit. Each coil 36 is controlled by a plurality of keys 43, the latter being mounted uponl a pivot rod 44, there being siX keys for each coil. The keys 37 as illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings repre- -sent different' tones from pianissimo and fortissimorand are adapted tobe operated to produce any one of the tones indicated. The keys have extending therefrom` contact arms 45 which are electrically connected to the opposite side of the battery 41 as indicated at 46. Thus,vwhen one of the-keys 43 is operated its particular Contact will engage the resistance coil 36 so as to include a predetermined amount of resistance and causes a magnet 33 to attract its armature 34 in a manner to produce a corresponding loud or soft note. One set of keys 43 is a substitute for each of the finger pieces 26 and may be operated to control the action of the piano so as to provide soft or loud notes in any or all of the. tone sections B, H and M.

The invention is susceptible of various changes in its form, proportions and minor details of construction and the right is herein reserved to make such changes as properly fall vwithin the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention What is claimed is l. A player piano having separate chromatic sections with portions oi' the chromatic sections overlapping one another and means to independently and collectively control the tone sections.

2. A player piano having separate chrof matic sections with portions of the sections overlapping one another, independent controlling means for each section and means whereby the controlling means for more than one sectionv may control the overlapping portions of the sections.

3. A player piano having separate chromatic sections With portions of the chromatic sections overlapping one another and means to provide a separate control for each chromatic section and a plurality oi" controls for the overlapping` portions of said sections.

A. A player piano having separate chromatic sections With portions of the chromatic sect-ions overlapping, individual mechanism for each chromatic section and means included in said mechanism, whereby the mechanism of one. chromatic section may be operated to control its respective section and the mechanism of more than one section may be simultaneously operated to control the overlapping portions of the sections to produce tones different from the tones of the separately controlled sections.

In testimony whereof I hereby affix my signature. i

ANTONIO MANERO. 

